Developing countries advised to assist local inventors

Kumasi, Nov. 20, GNA - An urgent appeal has been made to Governments of developing countries to focus their attention on assisting local entrepreneurs who come out with inventions to enable them to improve upon their ventures, rather than depending solely on foreign technology for development.

Mr. Opoku Agyemang Prempeh, Managing Director of Lakayana Company, a Construction and Debt collection firm who made the appeal said this was important because the dream of industrial development of African countries would depend not on foreign technology but on the exploration of local talents and skills.

Mr. Prempeh made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Saturday, on the relevance for African countries to make use of local talents and skills for their development drives. He observed that Ghana had a lot of talented and skillful personnel, but unfortunately previous and current governments have turned a blind eye to exploring such skills while giving priority to the application of foreign technology in whatever they do. Mr. Prempeh specifically mentioned Apostle Kwadwo Safo, Founder of the Christ Reformed Church whose ingenuity has resulted in the design and manufacture of various gadgets, including television sets, aeroplane engine, sound systems among other items, "yet these inventions have not been tapped by governments for any development."

He said the government would be doing a disservice to the nation if it failed to encourage local inventors like Apostle Safo to develop and expand their inventions.

Mr. Prempeh made it clear that the industrial countries and international community developed as a result of the use of local ingenuity and technology and for that matter developing Economies should also learn from the industrial countries by relying on their own local skills for progress.